"I had no idea I would be judged on performance -- I always thought spring training was a time for experimentation, to work with different stances, to get your timing down. Thirty-nine at-bats to judge a player? Wow, those are strict parameters." --Jose Canseco, on being released by the Anaheim Angels
"This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey." --Rickey Henderson, Padres outfielder, in a message left on the answering machine of Padres general manager Kevin Towers
So, what’s happened so far this season? Number one would be a no-hitter from Red Sox pitcher Hideo Nomo. After dominating the league during his first three seasons, Nomo struggled during the last three. What’s scary is if Nomo can return to form, the Red Sox would have to be the favorites in their division. That’s a big “if” because its way to early to be looking for trends.
As of right now, the Phillies have the best record in baseball at 3 wins and no losses. Live it up, Phillies phans.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Milwaukee Brewers were widely picked as a sleeper in the NL, due in large part to some young power hitters, some young talent at pitcher, and a new stadium filled with fans. After an 0-3 start, the hype may have been too great.
The league leader in hitting is Mariners’ Edgar Martinez with a blistering .800 BA. He’s 8 for 10 so far.
After slamming three homers in one game, Carlos Delgado, who was ripped out of the league MVP last season, now has 4 hits.
We could be seeing a comeback season for Robin Ventura, Mets third baseman. He beat the Braves with a two-run homer in the tenth inning.
ESPN’s Rob Neyer writes a strong article defending his belief that the White Sox will fall to second place this season due to his “luck factor.” That is, the White Sox won several close games last season, and a good record in close games is largely due to luck. Anyway, read this for yourself: http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/neyer_rob...
And I want to offer a rebuttal for those who believe that a team with many players over thirty will decline. The arguments that are most often used are that:
